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$25,000 UFL Transfer Fee Allows Player To Become A Patriot

Section 3 of the United Football League’s (UFL) Uniform Player Contract states the following:

Player acknowledges and agrees that he may only receive a Release pursuant to this subparagraph (b), upon payment of One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00) (the “Release Fee”), to be paid to Management by Player, the NFL, and NFL Club or any combination thereof.  Such Release Fee may be reduced or waived at the sole and absolute discretion of the Commissioner.

Even though agents had knowledge of the clause prior to the start of the UFL season, many of them were very upset that the UFL was enforcing the $150,000 fee.   Last year, the League decided to waive the fee, but up until last Thursday, the League was unwilling to budge from its stance that the fee was here to stay.

The existence of the $150,000 Transfer Fee certainly affected at least one player.  The Minnesota Vikings pulled back from signing Lorenzo Booker after the UFL extended its hand asking for the six figure amount.

But then, all of a sudden, the UFL retracted from its hard-line stance.  It did not scrap the entire fee, but it did divide it by six.  Now, any NFL team interested in adding a UFL player to its roster has the opportunity to do so at the price of $25,000.  The player also has the option of paying the fee if the team does not wish to spend the money.

Already one UFL player has been acquired by an NFL team for $25,000, and you will likely see that player tonight on Monday Night Football.  The New England Patriots added DE/OLB Eric Moore to its roster.  Pierre Woods was released to make room for Moore on the Patriots’ roster.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.